Tongues in trees, books in the running brooks.

I really just want to print my manuscript already, before I have to face another obstacle of picking up the story like earlier this month. I'm pretty excited to copy edit and expand on what I already have. That's going to be fun for a little nerd like me.

In other news, like, two more days left in the year? Geez.

And, I promise I'll stop with the Shakespeare quotes after December ends. I just think they look so nice all filed neatly in the month archive. (:

And show the heavens more just.

In the wee hours of this morning, I finished my first draft of the first installment of my first novel.

I feel more accomplished now than I felt at the end of National Novel Writing Month when I crossed the 50k word mark. Now, I have a perfectly flawed manuscript waiting to be printed at Kinko's, to move to the next stage: revision. I'm excited about editing my draft because I know it can get better, and that finished product will also be something to proud of.

I emailed the 175-page, 63,000 word file to my roommates just now. They better start reading, because I'm ready for the constructive criticism. (:

Able to breathe life into a stone.

So for the past 36 hours or so I've been making slow, painful progress on my NaNovel. I reread the last chapter (about fourteen pages) to refresh my memory, and I was quite proud of the above-average writing I'd done in the waning hours of November. But then I had to go back even further to make sure I was going to tie up all the right loose ends, and the writing wasn't so good. I had definitely gotten into the swing of things during NaNoWriMo. Now, all I've got to do is get that groove back.

Making a push at chance and sufferance...

I've been going to sleep -- and waking up -- uncharacteristically late these past few days. I'm so bored here at home, but I feel guilty for wasting so much of my day sleeping.

However, sleeping late gives cause for really freaky dreams (at least, in my case). I've been hoping for a really great, revelatory dream, giving me fuel (err, plot) to write, but instead, I'm haunted by these downright weird experiences in which I get lost in NYC's Bryant Park or, in like this morning's dreams, get expelled from school. And, in my dream, since I no longer had school to fill my days, I was forced to return home and wallow in my failure and boredom. I couldn't even remember why I got expelled, a story I'm sure which would have been fun to bring back to the world of the conscious.

The whole point of me retelling this particular dream is that, while I was engrossed in self-pity, my dream-self was inclined to blog about the whole ordeal. Ha. I'm such a nerd, even in sleep.

But only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself...

Last night I decided I wanted to write an unconventional superhero story. I didn't have much plot in mind but I was busy imagining some pretty elaborate characters... so I climbed in bed with my laptop and opened a new file and wrote one line and stopped.

I was distracted by a little folder in My Documents labeled Fiction. It was unorganized in a truly endearing sort of way, so I started to wade through it and I was lost for the next three hours, reading old narratives and detailed outlines and bad bits of dialogue which had seemed clever at the time.

And, while I was lost in that folder, I remembered why I love to write.

Here's ado to lock up honesty and honor...

I'm really bored. Can you tell? I mean, it isn't as if this is my third blog post in under an hour. Obviously, I have so much more I can be doing with my time. Clearly.

The thing is, with that first blog post a little while ago, I realized how much I missed blogging. Even if no one reads it. Even if this is one of the most vain acts a person can perform. Even if my writing is sub-par and confusing and lacking in style. (Or -- is this my style, and therefore, my writing is plumb full of style?)

Truthfully, this is probably my seventh, or tenth, or fifteen blog. I wish I had a list of all the LiveJournals, Xangas, and other URLs I have mowed through over the years. They're surprisingly hard to track down, though perhaps I should be thankful for such a difficulty. I probably don't want all that prose lined up in easy access for all the world -- or, at least, those few of you unfortuante enough to stumble across this most recent blog -- to see, and criticize, and giggle at. Because all those years ago -- beginning around eighth grade -- I didn't really have much by way of an opinion, and I certainly didn't lead an exciting life. Even now, seven or so years later, my life is quite dull (which you've probably already figured out by now). All I do is read, and hang out with my family and friends, and think about things. Not much by way of action.

I'm just rambling now. I guess all I wanted to say was that I'm glad I'm blogging again, and I hope I can keep up with it. At the very least, this blog has a focus: my adventures in the world of writing and literature. I can handle that -- can you?

Infirm of purpose! Give me the daggers.

Actually I started writing some ridiculous little thing about a girl living in ancient Rome. Actually, she moves to Ancient Rome from the country. I'm not really sure which country exactly, as I'm too lazy to do much research aside from a little Wikipedia about ancient Roman architecture and villa layouts and the function of a peristylium. So I'm stuck with this too-modern, unoriginal mess about slaves and honor and unrequited love, and I'm lamenting those four years of Latin in high school when I complained about having to watch Ben-Hur and translate thirty-line stories about the Cornelii.

But you would be proud, because, going against all my most powerful procrastinator's instincts, I sketched out the whole plot before I wrote a word of the narrative.

How's that for reckless abandonment of a perfectly good, nearly-finished manuscript?

So again goodnight. ...This bad begins and worse remains behind.

I haven't really touched my novel since the end of November. I don't really feel guilty about this, or like I've abandoned a project I'm really quite proud of. I've emailed it to a friend, and I plan to email the file to the rest of my closest friends tomorrow. (I don't know why I don't just do it now. I guess I'm just too lazy.)

The thing is, I knew I'd have to take a step back. I knew I was going to be exhausted, but I didn't anticipate leaving my story unfinished for nearly two weeks. The fact is, if would just sit down and do it, I could tie up the first installment of my novel (because my story is much more intricate and epic than 50,000 words) in one sitting. One long, painful, and back-breaking sitting, but one sitting nonetheless. I just need to do it.

I wonder if there's a procrastination gene I inherited? It's completely possible, right? Right?!

Day 29 of NaNoWriMo

I just won National Novel Writing Month with 50,249 words.

My NaNoWriMo profile says how awesome I am, and the documents on my flash drive say that there's probably still about 5,000 words worth left to my story, which I've decided is gonna have to be done in three parts. The first part is thisclose to being completed.

One more day to upload my word count -- I'll let you know how it goes!!!

I'M OFF TO RELISH IN A GREAT VICTORY --

Day 28 of NaNoWriMo

Day 28 is almost over and I have fewer than 5,000 words to go.

Day 25 of NaNoWriMo

At 41,783 words, the end of National Novel Writing Month is comfortably in sight. I am right on target with my word count and I still have a great deal of free time left with my Thanksgiving break -- which, thankfully, ends the same day as NaNoWriMo. Lucky me.

I meant to celebrate this a few days ago when it happened, but I noveled more than 6k words on Sunday to catch up from when I was so busy last week with school and Twilight and stuff. (The movie was ah-mazing, by the way. Both times.) So, that was a great day for me.

Also, there is no way I am going to finish my novel -- that is, tie up the loose ends, neaten up my plot, etc. -- in 50k. So, I still have a long road ahead of me where this novel is concerned -- But I like where it's headed, that's for sure!

Stick with me!

Day 20 of NaNoWriMo

So I'm getting ready to start my twentieth day of noveling. I'm slightly behind par on my word count because of schoolwork, exhaustion, and my mom being here at school to 1) celebrate her birthday, and 2) give us an opportunity to skip curfew to see Twilight at midnight. (Why aren't some theatres having a twilight showing? Hmm... maybe they are...)

So, I need to novel about 2,000 words a day from here on out to ensure I finish on time. And, I WILL finish on time.

Just because I feel so proud, I thought I'd let you know I finished reading World Without End a couple days ago amid all my mad noveling. Let me tell you, what with all the Black Plague description and power-hungry monks and such, World was quite the page-turner.

In other news, my T key on my keyboard is sticking. It was really hard to type "twentieth" earlier. I was painfully aware of each T in that word.

Day 15 of NaNoWriMo II

Today I came to terms with the fact that I can only write if I turn off my WiFi and stay out of the living room while my quadmates are watching a movie.

Let the new era of high-powered noveling begin.

Day 15 of NaNoWriMo

I don't really need any sort of reminder that it's been a whole week since I last blogged. I'm thisclose to reaching the halfway mark, right on schedule. I would LOVE to hit 30,000 words by the end of this weekend, but we'll see how that goes. I just don't want to lose the steady pace I've been keeping consistent the past week.

It really does help that I feel I'm FINALLY finished with my principal exposition, 24k words later. Now the real love interest has shown up and the mysteries are thickening. Let's get this show on the road, right?!

By the way, there's, like, five days or something until the premiere of the Twilight film. Excited? I know I am.

Day 7 of NaNoWriMo

So my excuse for blog neglect is, in fact, the very reason my blog exists. I've been noveling some, but mostly having a social life and getting caught up on homework. My word count is still ahead of schedule, but I'm not writing at quite the pace I started with, though I guess that's to be expected. But I need to be prosperous this weekend to keep from falling into a NaNodepression (which is a term I've just coined, JUST NOW).

That's pretty much all I have to say.

Oh, and that it's officially been one year since I discovered National Novel Writing Month -- a year since I registered my account on the website, one week too late to participate in last year's literary extravaganza.

Day 3 of NaNoWriMo

So I'm winding down Day 3 of National Novel Writing Month, and I currently sit at 8,561 words. Rose and I are sitting in Panera Bread, taking advantage of the free WiFi and the change of scenery -- but not partaking of the expensive, delicious food.

It took a few thousand words, but I think I have finally nailed the key tactic to NaNoveling: ignoring my inner perfectionist. It's taken a lot of struggling and threats, but I think I've managed to stifle that part of my psyche for at least the next 27 days. Rejoice, for I may just succeed at this yet!

My back and wrists are aching and it's time for some Chick-fil-A. See you in another thousand words?

Day 1 of NaNoWriMo

Day 1 is almost over. I think I've finished my first chapter, and it sits at about 4,347 words, eleven pages. I'm kind of fond of it so far, but I can see this is going to be a difficult month. I'm trying my hardest to just let the editing go and remember Chris Baty's first pep talk, reminding me that I shouldn't try to make a bookstore novel appear this month, because bookstore novels all started out as rough drafts just like mine at one point. But it's hard. Really.

I'll probably get another couple thousand words out of the way this weekend, which is a good feeling. It's best to get a strong start, right? (:

See you in the days to come.

1 Day Until NaNoWriMo - tentative decisions

I have just about three more hours until I can officially start writing my novel. I entered my synopsis and came up with a temporary title and cover just to have the info on my NaNoWriMo profile. I'm so nervous that I'm not going to be able to do this, or that I won't like the end product.

Ohh, why do I have to follow the rules? I would've started a long time ago, while I was still fearless and determined.

2 Days Until NaNoWriMo - a magnificent obsession

Give me one pure and holy passion;
Give me one magnificent obsession;
Give me one glorious ambition for my life:
To know and follow hard after You.

To know and follow hard after You;
To grow as your disciple in Your truth.
This world is empty, pale, and poor
Compared to knowing You, my Lord.
Lead me on and I will run after You;
Lead me on and I will run after You.

We sang this song in church last night and it hit me hard. I haven't mentioned it yet, but I think my call to write (not just participate in NaNoWriMo) is straight from God. Every day, it becomes more clear.

I need to stop trying to work every little theme and character in my NaNovel and realize that I can spend my whole life writing books as long as God keeps giving me that joy. There's no end in sight, really. December won't be the end, nor will be college. A calling is a calling. There's no escape from this, even if I was looking for it. And I'm glad.

3 Days Until NaNoWriMo - the perks of theology

I'm upstairs in my school's computer lab wasting a few minutes before my theology class. Basically, theology is going to be my saving grace (ha, ha) three times weekly during November. It's not that theology is boring -- really! Rather, it goes completely over my head and swoops around, bypassing me again, several times each class. I sit on the front row but I still can take nothing in.

How will this help me in my NaNoveling experience? Well, it's simple. I've been using the past few weeks to brainstorm. It's gone very well so far, and I don't intend to let Friday be my last chance to make use of my theology class -- no, sir! I'll be utilizing the 50-minute segment each and every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in November to expand on my so-far unnamed project of literary abandon. Hallelujah.

EDIT: I think I was smote (smited?) for posting this before theology. When I showed up in class this afternoon, I took my usual front row seat and brought out my outline to mark up during the lecture. Before the professor began, however, he called me up to the front of class and used me as part of his metaphoric illustration.

His illustration had nothing to do with the distracted manner with which I sat in on his class, but was based strictly on my front-row position. Thanks, God, for your sense of humor. My hand was shaking so badly when I finally got back to my seat that I had a hard time writing in my usual tiny cursive between the lines of my outline.

5 Days Until NaNoWriMo - goodbye pre-November blues!

Last night (or, rather, early this morning) I finished a seven-page chapter outline of my NaNovel. This sounds like a lot, but it was mostly just a compilation of several pages of miscellaneous handwritten notes that I'd amassed in the past few weeks. Mostly I've been using my theology class to brainstorm and generally flesh out my story. I'm a little overeager to name the project because it's starting to seem so real!

Today I wore my NaNoWriMo '08 shirt for the first time to celebrate my early-morning, 2,700 word accomplishment (yeah yeah, I know my outline doesn't go toward my 50k total word count!). Anyway, it just made me feel good. (:

Oh, and I also just listened to this song by the Avett Brothers called "Denouncing November Blue (Uneasy Writer)." What a crazy coincidence of a song title, right?! The lyrics don't really have much to do with my current situation, but it was still pretty fun.

7 Days Until NaNoWriMo - on 14th century epics

So I'm quite sure World Without End is the best choice for my November reading. It would certainly take me until the start of December to finish it under normal circumstances; while the month is ruled by noveling, however, it will be the perfect distraction. At 1,000 pages, World poses no risk of me, the reader, getting caught up and finding myself determined to finish it in one sitting (re: The Hunger Games). Similarly, its chapters and subsections run about a dozen (looong) pages, so it's the perfect break from whatever activity in which one is previously engaged.

So yeah. That's my justification for dedicating my November to an epic of historical fiction.

If you're actually seeking an update on my NaNo preparation, rest assured that I am finding ample time to plan and scheme the contents of what is becoming a piece of mainstream fiction. (I categorize thus because I will be pulling from several different genres, and I feel rather unoriginal even in these early stages of planning.)

Happy trails!

11 Days Until NaNoWriMo - lament of my own inferiority

I just finished reading Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games. All day I have been quite unable to put it down. I devoured that book. The characters, the structure -- all of its combined elements kept my fingers glued to the cover, flipping the pages, poring over every word.

I'm pretty much afraid I will never be able to meet such a standard if I were to write a YA novel. (I'm especially thankful for the balance of action and dialogue after reading the Inheritance Cycle.) So, here I must lament my own inferiority, and realize that I'm going to have to really persevere through November and get all the practice I can.

In the meantime, I'll just allow myself to gleefully mourn the fact that this is going to be yet another series that, as more installments are released, will rule my life.

12 Days Until NaNoWriMo - on leisurely reading

So... three more days have passed, and I have made no more progress on the intense planning of my sure-to-be-awesome NaNoWriMo novel. I did, however, finish three books in the meantime. Pretty amazing, right? Not really. One of them was Brisingr, the third installment of the teen-geared four-book Inheritance Cycle (it began with Eragon, which I'm quite sure you've probably heard of). It's taken me a few weeks to make time for this series, as I wasn't completely invested in it. Last night I began (and finished) The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, a short children's book which would have broken my heart, except that I, in my cunning and Potter-series-bred reading brain, figured out the ending about 50 pages too soon. So there was that down the drain.

After The Miraculous Journey, I read the first couple of chapters of The City of Ember, which is this post-apocalyptic young reader's book about a civilization living underground after some undefined disaster aboveground. The city is suffering as their supplies dwindle and their electricity threatens daily to give up. Two unlikely kids find the way out and escape in the final pages of the book -- leaving me desperate for the second book, but mad at myself for having done a four-book run to Barnes and Noble just yesterday (hence all the fresh literature). Anyway, I just finished Ember, and it was really impressive. I have The Hunger Games (yes, the YA book recommended my Stephenie Meyer herself) and World Without End, a big-girl book -- a 1,000 page sequel to another 1,000 page book that was my summer reading senior year. So, I'll be pretty well occupied for at least another week.

I say all this to assert that my reading will help me in my NaNo-writing experience. I'm sure it will... won't it? (Or will it just distract me during November? We can only wait and see...)

15 Days Until NaNoWriMo

So. First thing's first. I'm participating in this year's NaNoWriMo. It's going to be a crazy month, and I figured a blog on which I could vent and alleviate writer's block during the weeks of November would be helpful. I plan to keep this thing to update my progress and generally complain about my self-induced habit of procrastination.

I'm working on detailed outlines of my NaNo novel. Right now there's magic, time travel, and cute boys involved. And an evil dictator, some college, an assassination... it's going to be a good time.

I'll keep you updated.